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Kaga ware: bottle and two vases
Lithograph by Chataignon, c. 1875
 

A — Large bottle of Kaga ware, of drab tinted pate, relieved with white line-work, and covered with a thin bright varnish, crackled. The decoration is, for the most part, executed in transparent enamel colours, which allow the white lines of the ground to be seen through them. The red, black, white, and dark blue enamels, however, are opaque. The geometrical patterns, which ornament the lower part of the body and the neck, are well chosen, and arranged very effectively. The body is painted with a series of aged figures, walking amidst trees and flowers. Height: 19½ inches.
B — Vase of Kaga ware, of similar manufacture to the above piece, painted with figures of warriors, flowers, and conventional designs, in transparent and opaque coloured enamels, and gold sparingly used. Height: 13 inches.
C — Vase of drab tinted Kaga ware, as above, but decorated in a more solid style. The greater part of the body is grounded with red, upon which are placed green scrollwork and four overlapping medallions containing flowers. Round the lower portion is the water-leaf border so commonly found in the decorations of Kaga ware. The neck is zoned with bands of blue, red, and green, enriched with diapers and scrollwork; and upon these bands are two cusped medallions, containing birds and flowers. The bell is fringed with a simple design, and edged with a zig-zag of gold lines on a fret groundwork. Height: 14¼ inches.

 

Kaga ware is known for its hand-painted decoration and its measured use of colour and is produced through techniques established over generations. It originated in the Kaga domain in the mid-17th century, with the first Kutani kiln established in 1655 during the early Edo period, which lasted from 1603 to 1868. Development took place under the patronage of the Maeda clan throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, with Kutani becoming the most prominent centre.